The Night: World Music

I. Les plus belles chansons d’amour. (53:30 min)
In the French chanson, the text is at least as important as the music and reveals the French soul: romantic, impulsive and nostalgic. The current chanson arose at the beginning of the twentieth century from older song forms of which Les 100 plus belles chansons d’amour some go back to the Middle Ages. Icons that color the chanson or song are very diverse from Michel Depeche (Pour un flirt avec toi) via Umberto Tozzi (Ti amo) to Marilyn Monroe (I want to be loved by you), come through with spicy lyrics and influences from beat, rock and pop.
CD. Les plus belles chansons d’amour.
LABEL: Wagram Music (2010) code: 3211452. VIDEO

II. The Everly Brothers. (26:04 min)
Rock-‘n-roll may have the stigma of rebellious teenage music, many of the early rockers were neat boys. Don and Phil Everly learned the trade of country singer from their father, before trying their luck with the two of them in the emerging rock-‘n’roll. The flawless harmony of their blood-related voices brought an element from the family tradition of country music into rock-‘n-roll. The result was music that managed to bridge generational gaps; the duo managed to write an incredible series of hits to their name. Their influence can be found in every pop band with harmonious singing, from The Beatles to Simon & Garfunkel.
CD’s: The very best of The Everly Brothers. LABEL: Rhino Records (2014) code: 825646321957. The best of The Everly Brothers : 1957-’60. LABEL: Music Club MMC (1995) code: 0000209. VIDEO

III. Screaming Jay Hawkins. (10:13)
An American singer, born in 1929 in Cleveland Ohio and died in Paris in 2000. In the 2nd World War he served as an entertainer in the American army. After the war he was a boxer for some time. He was a 1949 champion of Alaska in the middle weight. Due to his macabre performances, where smoke, bombs, fire and coffins were used, he is regarded as a shock rocker avant la lettre.
I Put a Spell on You (1956) was his biggest and best-known hit.
CD. At home with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
LABEL: Hoodoo Records (2019) code: 670091. VIDEO

IV. Joe Cocker. (19:03 min)
Joe was not only the creator of ‘the most chilling scream in pop music’ – in his adaptation of the Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ – but also an excellent interpreter of rock with a soulful edge. After his breakthrough at the Woodstock Festival (1969), Joe Cocker experienced a few years of success.
After disappearing from the scene for a few years, the singer reappeared in the eighties with the surprisingly soft-sounding rock hits.
CD. The Ultimate collection : 1968-2003 – Joe Cocker.
LABEL: EMI (2003) code: 5967752. VIDEO

V.
The Platters. (14:13 min)
In the pre-rock & roll era, The Platters were the first black singing group that was also popular with the white population of America.With their stylish repertoire, The Platters managed to build a bridge between traditional song forms of the 1940s and the adventurous musical developments of the 1950s. That’s why The Platters also had a role in 1956 in Rock Around The Clock, the first film in the history of rock & roll.
CD. The ballads of  The Platters.
LABEL: Bear Family code: BCD 17326 AR. VIDEO

VI. Tom Jones. (17:56 min)
He grew up in Wales as the son of a miner. He learned to sing in the church choir and in the pub. As the singer of the beat group Tommy Scott & The Senators, he was discovered by producer Joe Meek, but Jones only achieved success with the help of manager Gordon Mills. His robust voice and good looks captivated millions of women in the mid-sixties. Tom Jones moved to the United States and played mainly big glamor shows in Las Vegas in the eighties. After a somewhat shorter period, he reappeared at the end of the eighties with the Prince cover Kiss.
CD. Greatest hits – Tom Jones.
LABEL: Decca Records (2003) code: 686082. VIDEO

VII. Chet Baker. (36:40 min)
The album starts with an authentic version of My Funny Valentine. Throughout, pianist Russ Freeman’s warm, solid touch provides the perfect counterbalance to Baker’s touching romanticism. My Funny Valentine has been recorded by almost every singer who has ever been active in jazz or vocal music. Baker’s version, however, is perhaps still the most iconic. Its vulnerability, partly arising from his lack of experience as a singer, partly simply a consequence of who he was, makes it totally different from all the versions released by other singers.

CD. Chet Baker sings – Chet Baker.
LABEL: Pacific Jazz (1998) code: CJ32-5005. VIDEO

VIII. Nat King Cole. (57:33 min)
Cole’s career reached new heights in the 1950s when he signed a contract with Capitol Records. His velvety voice and refined style appealed to a wide audience and he became one of the first African-American artists to achieve significant commercial success. As a brilliant jazz pianist and band leader, Nat King Cole scored no fewer than 150 singles on Billboard’s pop, R&B and country charts. As a popular artist, Cole broke boundaries on radio, television and in the film world. Despite the racial discrimination and other challenges he faced throughout his life, Cole continued to make music and perform. His contributions to music have opened doors for future generations of musicians.
CD. The extraordinary Nat King Cole.
LABEL: Capitol (2014) code: 602537788033. VIDEO

IX. Tony Bennett. (01:03:58)
He was born in 1926, in Queens, New York as Anthony Dominick Benedetto. Already at a young age he performed as a singer and had ambitions to make singing his profession. He got that chance when he was ‘discovered’ by Bob Hope, who also advised him to change his name to Tony Bennett. In 1950, Bennett got a recording contract and in the early fifties he had the first big successes with various top 5 hits. Despite the popularity of rock-n-roll, he managed to maintain this success. He developed into a crooner in the style of his main competitor Frank Sinatra and began to take an interest in the expressive possibilities offered by jazz.
CD. The essential Tony Bennett.
LABEL: Sony (2014) code: 886978318428. VIDEO

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